


Operation Romance

by lies_d



Category: The Tick (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:02:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28144302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lies_d/pseuds/lies_d
Summary: Two love-struck heroes. One nefarious plan. A night of... ballroom dancing?
Relationships: Dorothy "Dot" Everest/Overkill
Comments: 5
Kudos: 13
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Operation Romance

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CousinShelley](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CousinShelley/gifts).



Dot drained the last of the bourbon from her glass. It as her one and only drink that night, but she felt inexplicably warm and giddy.

Mirroring her, Overkill finished his own drink. They'd been talking all evening, and now they shared a rare moment of companionable silence. His normally terse expression had given way to something warmer. He almost seemed happy.

Dot put her glass down on Dangerboat's counter bar, careful to use the coaster because she knew DB could be fussy about things like that. The boat had announced that he was going into sleep mode for a series of diagnostic scans. Dot felt sure that was his polite way of giving them some privacy, and she appreciated it.

"It's getting late," Dot said. "But maybe I could have another drink. The only problem is, I wouldn't be able to drive home." She bit her lip. "If that's a problem."

She wasn't used to being this forward, but she liked it. She waited for Overkill to say _That's not a problem,_ or _You should stay the night,_ or maybe they'd just move right past talking into... something else.

Overkill looked at the time on a nearby screen.

"You're right, it's late." He stood up and took the bottle of bourbon from the counter. "Safety first." He put it back on its shelf with the rest of the alcohol.

"Friends don't let friends drink and drive," he said, turning off the music they'd been enjoying.

***

When Dot stepped into her apartment, she couldn't shake the feeling that she could have done something differently. She thought she'd been pretty clear about her intentions. Maybe not clear enough.

Or maybe Overkill could read her loud and clear, he just wasn't interested.

Then her phone buzzed in her purse.

It was a text from Overkill:

'Dot. I'm not good at this. But I'm just gonna say it. You're great. I want to go out on a date with you. I know a place you'd like. If you're interested, text affirmative and meet me there tomorrow at 1900 hours.' 

The next part of the message was a link to a restaurant's website.

Okay, so obviously he was interested, but he just didn't want to rush into anything.

Dot didn't even have to follow the link to decide whether or not she wanted to go with him. She texted 'Affirmative'.

***

The next morning, Overkill woke up and checked his phone. There was a text from Dot.

'Hi Overkill. I had a great time talking with you last night. Maybe I'm completely off the mark here, but I'm just going to go ahead and say it. I think I feel a connection between us that might be more than friendship. I think we could really be something, you know? So, maybe, if you're not doing anything tonight... would you like to go out with me? On a date? I know a great place, I think it'll be fun. Dinner starts at 7pm. If you want to go, just say yes. If not, if I'm totally wrong, don't say anything and we can just pretend I didn't ask.'

Overkill sat up straight in bed as though someone had thrown a bucket of water onto him.

"DB, Dot sent this to me just now. What do I do?" He read the text out loud to Dangerboat.

"Hmm. I'd say yes if I were you," DB said nonchalantly. He didn't seem surprised. Not nearly as surprised as Overkill.

Dot was amazing. Gorgeous. Smart. Fierce. Overkill liked her, he knew he did. But he didn't every think she'd be willing take a risk on someone as dark and messed up as he was.

Maybe she just didn't know how messed up he was. All over his previous 'relationships' ended up being flaming ten-car pileup situations. Now he tended to think of himself as a lone wolf. He's resigned himself to solitude. (Except he had DB of course, they were lone wolves together.)

But if Overkill knew anything about Dot, he knew that she was brave. If she was willing to take a risk on him, the least he could do was take the leap right along with her.

He texted back.

'Yes. I'll be there.'

It was only then that he thought to follow the link to see the place he'd agreed to meet her.

"There's a dress code?" He looked towards his closet, that held only variations of battle suits. "DB, I think you're going to have to help me find something to wear."

***

Dot waited outside the restaurant, listening to the music coming from inside. She felt inexplicably nervous. She'd been spending a lot of time with Overkill lately, they knew each other pretty well. She'd always been comfortable in his presence.

But now the context had changed, since he'd _explicitly_ said this was a date, and everything between them seemed different.

A cab pulled up. Overkill stepped out of the back.

Wow. Dot wasn't sure if she'd ever see him in civilian clothes. She certainly didn't expect to see him dressed like _that_.

His slim-fitted black pants had a crisply ironed edge. Instead of battle-grade protective boots, he wore black leather shoes. She couldn't decide whether his button-up shirt was ivory or cream, but it looked like it might be silk, and even if it wasn't, she really wanted to run her hands over his shoulders to find out. His suit vest wasn't quite black - it had a kind of dark blue sheen to it that really matched the blue of his tie.

Dot liked the way he normally dressed but she had to admit, this was nice too.

His cybernetic eyes found her, and they drifted toward each other as though drawn by some magnetic force.

"Dot. You look amazing," he said.

"So do you," said Dot sincerely. She hadn't given a lot of thought about what to wear. She had one good dress, a sleeveless green dress that she hadn't worn since, really she didn't remember when. She hadn't had much time to date as a medical student. She hadn't dated much since gradating either.

Overkill tugged at the collar of his shirt.

"DB helped me pick it out. I guess it's about time I had some good civilian clothes," he said.

"I'll have to thank DB," Dot said. "Your boat has good taste."

***

Overkill was no coward. He'd faced villains, henchmen, evil robots, and one time even killer bees. Nothing could make him flinch.

But this place was something else. He felt so far out of his element, he might as well have been on another planet.

The restaurant had a dinner and dancing theme. _Ballroom dancing_. After dinner there were basic lessons on the dance floor in the middle of the room, followed by a big dancing free-for-all. It seemed really old-fashioned to Overkill, but for all he knew, it was a hot new trend. He didn't go to restaurants in general. Too civilian. And even though he liked to dance, he never considered himself a ballroom dancing kind of guy.

But if this was what Dot wanted, he'd do his best.

Dot looked _stunning._ The sleeveless dress she wore was green. It had a low V-neckline and different layers of fabric that flowed and swayed just above her knees when she walked. It was hard to concentrate on anything else.

Somehow he stumbled through ordering food and wine. The food all sounded weird to him, so he ordered at random. Ditto the wine. It must've been his lucky night, because they were both really good. And even better than the food was the company.

Overkill thought he'd be nervous and clam up, but this was Dot. He knew her. He _trusted_ her, and trust did not come easily to him. They always found something to talk about. Maybe the waiter thought it was weird they were talking about knife fighting technique and how to evade traps in supervillain lairs, but he didn't care. He loved talking to her, and she seemed to really like talking to him. He couldn't remember the last time he was this happy.

After dinner, they went to the dance floor for the beginner's lessons. It didn't take long, the instructor showed them a few basic steps and then opened up the floor to everyone else.

Turned out Overkill was a natural. He always knew he had a good sense of rhythm. Dot was pretty good too. He wondered if physical training helped with co-ordination, because she claimed she'd never done this before.

Overkill got to hold onto the small of Dot's back and lead her by the hand. They tried a few twirls and he loved watching her hair and her skirt spin. He loved the way her smile lit up her face.

All the weirdness and anxiety had been worth it.

It was a rude, rude awakening when Overkill felt an aggressive tap on his shoulder. Instinct kicked in. Years of training. He threw his fist back without even thinking. When he turned around he found he'd broken the nose of some guy who just wanted to cut in.

Management hustled them out, and that was the end of the dancing.

***

The weather was great, so they decided to take a stroll.

"You looked like you were having a really good time," Overkill told her. "I'm sorry I went and ruined everything."

Dot smiled and looked down.

"You didn't ruin anything, I was ready to leave. It was fun, but it felt a little too... formal. I know you tried to pick somewhere romantic for our first date, but I think maybe neither of us is suited to this kind of romantic."

Overkill turned his head sharply towards her.

"You're the one who picked this place. Aren't you?" He asked.

"I thought... you picked this place. You said you thought I'd like it. You sent me the link last night," said Dot.

" _You_ sent me the link this morning."

He saw Dot's eyes widen.

"You weren't the one who asked me out on a date," said Dot.

"And you didn't ask me out," said Overkill.

"We've been tricked," she said, suddenly alert. She looked around. "Maybe this is paranoid but, do you think it's a villain?"

"No. It's someone more nefarious." Overkill took his phone out of his pocket and dialled. "I know who picked this place and faked those texts. I know exactly who thinks this would be a perfect, romantic first date."

If Dot _hadn't_ sent her that text, it meant she wasn't actually interested in him that way. It was all a big lie.

"DB? You asshole! You set us up, didn't you?"

"Overkill, calm down," Dangerboat said. "I need to talk to Dot. Don't go anywhere until I've had a chance to talk to her."

Overkill hung up.

"Sorry, Dot," he said. "Sorry about... all of this. I've gotta go."

He was going to go swear at Dangerboat some more. And mostly, he didn't want to be here. Now that he knew she didn't actually want to date him, he wanted to be anywhere else.

 _How stupid can you be?_ Overkill thought to himself. _How could you ever think she would be interested in you?_

He dialled a cab as he walked away.

***

Dot's phone rang in her hand. The caller ID read Dangerboat. She took a second to decide whether she wanted to pick up or not. She wasn't as angry as Overkill, but she wasn't happy about the situation either.

She tapped the 'Accept' button.

"Okay Dangerboat, are you calling to apologize?"

"No, I'm not," said Dangerboat. "I'm calling you to tell you to _go after him!_ "

Dot closed her eyes and rubbed her forehead.

"Don't hang up!" Dangerboat said, barely preventing her from doing just that. "Dot, listen to me. I'm going to be very frank. That is a fine specimen of manhood walking away right now. You are perfect for each other and he's crazy about you. But he'll never, _ever_ make the first move, so it's up to you. If you want a piece of that, you need to go get it."

Dot knew he was right. She put her phone back into her purse. She took her shoes off, threw them away, and ran.

***

Overkill didn't get very far.

When Dot caught up to him in bare stockinged feet, she wasn't even winded.

"Overkill?"

He stopped. He didn't want to turn around. So instead, she stepped around him so they were face to face.

Her cheeks were a little flush. God, she was beautiful.

Instead of saying anything, she took a firm hold of his tie and pulled him down so she could kiss him.

When the kiss ended and they pulled away, Overkill almost couldn't believe this was real.

"Want a second date? For real this time?" She asked.

"Anything you want," he said, and he meant it.

She pulled him in for another kiss.


End file.
